Matthew Mason preached a message during our Palm Sunday service last night.  You may listen or download here.

Today’s post is the third in a series of posts that will help us better know the folks that we worship with each week. In each post, we’ll play Q&A with a member of the church.

Aaron Damiani

1. Can you share a short bio with us?

I grew up in northeastern Ohio, and moved to Chicago as a college student. I soon discovered that I was an urbanite, and spent a decade there before moving to DC in July 2008. My time in Chicago included theological study at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton Graduate School, marrying Laura, work as a marriage conference coordinator, and ministry as a live-in college chaplain.

2.  How long have you attended Rez?

My first Sunday at Rez was a traumatic experience. It was July 6, 2008. Laura and I moved to DC days before, and we felt very disoriented. Sammy was 13 days old, our life was in boxes, and I was without a job. We came to Rez knowing it would be our church family, but on that Sunday, everybody was a stranger. This hardship ended up being a gracious act of God for our family, and its impact shaped my approach towards ordained ministry.

3.  When did you start following Christ?  What have been some of the spiritual turning points in your life?

My first memorable encounter with Christ was at five years of age, when my Father explained the Gospel to me via the “bridge illustration.” After praying with him, I proceeded to share the bridge illustration with my neighborhood buddies. Later, I told them that Santa Claus didn’t exist, which did not go well at all.

During my undergraduate years, I went through a difficult season of spiritual and intellectual doubt. It turns out that understanding of God was sincere but inconsistent. God had a unique way of letting me walk through that intellectual and spiritual valley without letting me go, and he reconstituted my faith in the process.

In graduate school, I finally experienced what some call “the second naivety,” where my interpretation of the Bible moved beyond critical thoughtfulness to a fresh encounter with the living God to whom my studies were bearing witness. In those formative years, the leaders of my local church (also called Church of the Resurrection) patterned a rich life of prayer, worship, and ministry that I gradually inherited.  These years served as the foundation for my path towards ordination.

4.  What was your childhood nickname(s)?

Most of my nicknames are variations of my last name, which is easy to turn into a curse word. The family friendly nicknames I’ve picked up over the years include “Dam” (rhymes with “Rahm”) and “Trapper-Keeper.”

5.  Tell us a little about your day job.  (What kinds of things are you responsible for at Rez?)

Along with the other pastors, I share the responsibility for preaching, pastoral care, and liturgical leadership. I also give oversight to the prayer ministry, children’s ministry, and discipleship. In this capacity, I help provide vision and support to our Rezgroups, Triads, and our Men’s and Women’s ministries.

No two days are alike, but I often work closely with fellow pastors Matthew Mason and Dan Clare. We are always collaborating on projects, sermons, and personal/pastoral growth.

6.  What kinds of things do you do with your free time?

I love spending time with my family. On my days off, we are usually playing tee-ball in the back yard or taking family outings to the National Arboretum. I covet my uninterrupted time with Laura. I also enjoy running, listening to lectures, reading, and talking on the phone with my good friends.

7.  When you see me on Sunday nights, you should ask me about:

Ask me why Kierkegaard was neither a philosopher, nor a theologian, nor an existentialist. Ask me about the comedic Zen that influences the show 30 Rock (and why it’s so hard to duplicate). I am always happy to talk shop about the next Congressional election and what makes Chicago a great city to visit.

8. What are some of your hopes for the future of the church?

I hope that our church becomes a place known for gospel-shaped transformation. Specifically, I have hope that our church becomes a place where men come to learn how to initiate, protect, and lead others in life-giving ways. It’s hard to underestimate the positive influence this would have on our families, our church, and our city. Additionally, I hope we continue to plant healthy churches at every Metro stop, and become known for being the most sacrificial and loving citizens of DC.

9. What is your dream job?

Obnoxious cable news pundit (ask my wife about this).

10.  How long have you been married?  Tell us a little bit about how you met your spouse.

Laura and I will celebrate 7 years of marriage this April. We started dating 8 years ago, after a mutual friend invited us out to lunch. I knew on our first date that I wanted to marry Laura, but I kept that to myself for a while. My motto in winning her over was “slow and steady wins the race.” It turns out that this is also true in pastoral ministry.

11.  Tell us a bit about your kids.

Gus is looking forward to celebrating his 4th birthday at “Toot Toots,” a Chicago-area restaurant that delivers kid food on a train. Gus enjoys collecting rocks, riding his bike, cooking, wielding tools, and asking uncomfortable questions about God. Sammy will turn 2 in June. He is an intensely strong child that can walk into any house and demonstrate where it needs to be baby-proofed. Sammy loves books and songs, and frequently demands that we read or sing to him. He entertains himself during church by making eyes with the people sitting in the pew behind us.

Tommy Hinson visited us from our sister church in Northwest (Church of the Advent) and shared the sermon with us on March 21, 2010.  You may listen or download here.

St. Mark’s Passion 2010: An Evening of Scripture Readings and Sacred Music

When: 5 PM Palm Sunday, March 28
Where: Christ our Shepherd Building, 801 North Carolina Ave SE, Washington DC 20003
Child care will be provided

Bishop Thad continued his teaching on Genesis 32:22-30 with our final session on Saturday morning.  You may listen or download here.

Bishop Thad continued his teaching at the retreat with this message on Genesis 32:22-30.  You may listen or download here.

Bishop Thad Barnum joined us for our annual retreat this weekend and shared three messages with us.  You may listen or download the first message here.

You can listen or download Dan Claire’s sermon from March 7, 2010 here.

Today’s post is the second in a series of posts that will help us better know the folks that we worship with each week. In each post, we’ll play Q&A with a member of the church.

Matthew Mason


1. Can you share a short bio with us?
Throughout my life, I’ve moved fairly regularly, so I’ve never been sure how to answer the question, “Where are you from?” Since moving to DC, it’s been easier: I’m from England. I studied Music at Manchester University, and then theology at Oak Hill Theological College, in London. I then served for just over four years as curate (assistant pastor) of St John’s, a Church of England church in Tunbridge Wells, just south of London. I found out about Rez via a listserve I’m on, and contacted Dan. Annabel and I visited DC in June, loved what we saw, and couldn’t wait to join the staff at Rez.

2. How long have you attended Rez?
Since November 7, 2009.

3. When did you start following Christ? What have been some of the spiritual turning points in your life? Do you have a favorite bible verse?
I was born in a Christian family, and was baptized when I was two months old. As I grew up, I never doubted the truth of the gospel, but for a number of years in my teens, I had no interest in following Christ. When I was 20, at university, the Lord brought me back to himself, largely through the faithful prayers and Christian witness of my parents.

4. What is your favorite hymn / praise song? Why?
For All the Saints. It’s a great hymn (11 verses in all!) about Christ’s faithfulness to his people, our place in the fight of faith alongside the church throughout history, and our great hope of joining them in glory, singing praise to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

5. What was your childhood nickname(s)?
This may be an example of selective memory, but I don’t remember any until we started learning French at school. From that time on, one of my friends only ever called me “C’est une”. I’ll leave you to work out why.

7. Tell us a little about your day job / studies.
In addition to preaching and one-to-one pastoring, I’m responsible for Rez’s evangelism, and our new adult education programme.

8. What kinds of things do you do with your free time?
Mostly, I like spending time with my family, and we’re especially enjoying making the most of the great museums in DC. I also edit a theological journal, and enjoy reading novels, biography, and poetry. I tend to take on (in the privacy of my head!) the character of the person I’m reading about, so for the past few weeks, I’ve been Churchill, standing alone for freedom in the early 1940s! Now I’m consumed with the rage of Achilles.

9. When you see me on Sunday nights, you should ask me about:
Why the comic novels of P. G. Wodehouse represent the high water mark of Western literature; how to pronounce schedule, tomato, and Birmingham; how to spell colour, programme, and cheque; what to call the season that follows summer; why the biblically mandated form of government is monarchy.

10. What are some of your hopes for the future of the church?
Psalm 119 tells us that wisdom, understanding, maturity, freedom, life, and happiness come from saturation in and obedience to God’s Word. So, in order that we might flourish in every aspect of our lives together, I long above all for us to be a community of learners in the school of Scripture.

11. What is your dream job?
Opening the bowling for the England cricket team in the next Ashes series against Australia.

12. How long have you been married? Tell us a little bit about how you met your spouse.
Annabel and I have been married for 11 years. We met as students at Manchester University, through mutual friends. I particularly remember long walks to the cinema each week.

13. Tell us a bit about your kids.
Tabitha is 6. She loves playing with her younger sister, dressing up, doing maths, playing the piano, and ballet. Evie is not quite 4. She loves playing with her older sister (thankfully!), dressing up, and ballet. She’s a natural entertainer, and loves nothing better than making us laugh.